Climax!: The Day They Gave Babies Away (1955)

Synopsis
by Hal Erickson

The Christmas, 1955 presentation of the CBS anthology Climax! was based on a true story in the lives of the ancestors of co-scenarists Dale and Katherine Eunson. Set in rural Wisconsin in the 1860s, the story begins on a somber note, as both parents of 12-year-old Robbie Eunson (Brandon De Wilde die within a few months of each other. Now the man of the family, Robbie sets about to honor his mother's dying wish, that proper homes be provided for Robbie and his five younger siblings. Thus it is that on Christmas eve, Robbie visits several of his neighbors, offering to give away his brothers and sisters. Joan Evans, actress daugher of the Eunsons, serves as narrator. Adapted from the authors' Cosmopolitan magazine article, "The Day They Gave Babies Away" was later transformed into a theatrical feature film, All Mine to Give (1957); of the TV play's cast, only Stephan Woolton repeated his role (as Jimmie Eunson) in the movie, though Allen Reisner directed both versions.